


don't fight me now (cause you might need me later)

by inbetweenthestacks



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Oblivious Zuko, Pining, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko is bad at feelings, he also blushes a lot, mostly - Freeform, sword fights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:22:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24950758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inbetweenthestacks/pseuds/inbetweenthestacks
Summary: All of the sudden, Zuko couldn’t breathe. His stomach swooped in a way reminiscent of when he stood too close to the drop-off of the temple and looked down over the edge. It felt like his world had just flipped upside down.The sun shone behind Sokka, illuminating him like a halo. Some of his hair had fallen out of his wolf tail and hung around his face in sweaty strands. His tunic was sticking to his body in a way that must not have been comfortable, but he didn’t seem to mind. His chest heaved with each breath he took. Zuko thought he had never looked more beautiful.--Featuring swordbending, massages, realizations, and good ol' fashion pining.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 794
Collections: A:tla





	don't fight me now (cause you might need me later)

**Author's Note:**

> So this kind of wrote itself if I'm being honest. It started with wanting Zuko to realize his feelings after Sokka beats him while sparring and turned into...this. I treated canon more like guidelines than hard facts, so forgive me if I got something wrong. I proofread, but there might still be typos, so. sorry. 
> 
> Also I just wanna say I truly appreciate that "Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck" is a real tag to be used. Beautiful, truly.

There was a room on the eastern side of the temple where Zuko liked to practice in the mornings. It was a wide open space without any walls, leading to a steep drop-off. He stayed away from the edge because the heights made his head spin. He could see out over the forests that covered the ground below the temple. 

Zuko would come out to see the sunrise in the mornings and practice his katas as the sky exploded in colors. After the sun was fully over the horizon he would practice with his dao, letting the crisp morning air invigorate him.

It was a rare moment each day that he let his mind clear and all the dark thoughts that constantly followed him washed away. He felt...at peace. He was interrupted by the sound of footsteps echoing off the temple walls somewhere behind him. He turned to find Sokka entering the room with his sword slung across his back. Zuko wasn’t surprised by his arrival.

It had started a few weeks ago. He had been a little too enthusiastic with his sword practice one morning after waking from a particularly nasty nightmare involving his father. He had been pushing himself in an effort to push the stress away. Suddenly, something in his shoulder popped painfully making him stop short mid swing. He swung it experimentally, but stopped when it twinged again. Well, shit.

He ended up stretching gingerly as best he could and heading back to his room earlier than he normally did. 

As he was, he ran into Sokka, literally. He hadn’t been paying attention and rounded a corner rather quickly, running into the other boy. He collided particularly hard with the shoulder that he had just injured and couldn’t help himself from eliciting a sharp gasp. 

“Shit! Sorry man, I wasn’t paying attention,” Sokka exclaimed, placing steadying hands on Zuko’s shoulders. His eyes caught on Zuko’s face, which contorted in a pained grimace before he could catch himself. Sokka’s brow furrowed in worry. “Whoa dude are you okay? I didn’t think we hit that hard.” His eyes scanned down Zuko’s body quickly looking for injuries and Zuko tried hard not to color under his gaze. 

His eyes stopped where Zuko was clutching his left shoulder.

“What happened?” Zuko looked away uncomfortably. He wanted to shrug out of where Sokka’s hands still rested on his shoulders, now more gently on Zuko’s left side. He hated feeling vulnerable like this, but Sokka’s hands were warm in the cool air and he wanted to let it last as long as possible. 

“It’s nothing. I think I just pulled something while practicing with my swords this morning.” He didn’t miss the interest that flashed through Sokka’s eye at the mention of Zuko’s swords, but it was quickly taken over with concern about the part about pulling something. Sokka gently pushed Zuko in the direction of the short wall of the temple and perched them both on the edge. 

“Do you want me to look at it?” Sokka asked.

Zuko opened his mouth to say no, but Sokka hadn’t waited for an answer before he started gently kneading his fingers into Zuko’s shoulder. Any words he had been about to say die in his throat in surprise. 

Sokka had always been a tactile person, Zuko knew that. Even before he’d been accepted by team avatar, Zuko would see the way that he would distribute casual touches to his sister and his friends. Zuko wasn’t sure when, but at some point he became included in this number and he tried not to have a heart attack each time. 

Zuko wasn’t exactly used to all this casual touching, but that didn’t seem to deter Sokka. He would sling his arm over Zuko’s shoulder when he sat next to him next to the fire. He’d bump his shoulder when they’d walk together on a hunt. And now apparently he would rub Zuko’s injured shoulder. 

Despite his reservations, after a moment, Zuko let it happen. It felt good. He tilted his head to the side, stretching the muscle out and letting Sokka finger push into the tense muscle. He hit a particularly tight spot and Zuko couldn’t help but let out something that was dangerously close to a moan. 

Sokka’s fingers abruptly stilled for a moment on Zuko’s shoulder and Zuko suddenly wished he was an earthbender so he could make the ground come up and swallow him. He was grateful that Sokka was slightly behind him so that he couldn’t see the blush that spread across Zuko’s cheeks. It also meant that he couldn’t see the look on Sokka’s face. Zuko coughed uncomfortably. 

“Sorry,” he said quietly.

It was only a few seconds before Sokka resumed what he’d been doing, as if nothing happened.

“Man, you are tense. No wonder you pulled something.” Zuko was filled with gratitude at the fact that he didn’t draw attention to Zuko’s embarrassment. 

“So you were practicing with your sword?” Sokka asked. He tried to sound casual, but Zuko could detect the restrained interest in his voice.

“Yeah, I do it every morning, along with my fire bending forms.” 

Slowly, Sokka slowed his movements on Zuko’s shoulder. Zuko didn’t know if he imagined the way that Sokka fingers lingered before they dropped to his sides. He tried not to miss them. 

“You know, sometimes I forget that you can fight with swords. You’ve got your bending and I guess I just figured that that would be all you needed.” 

Zuko looked down and kicked at the ground before responding. 

“I was never as good at firebending as Azula growing up. A fact that I was often reminded of. So, I decided that I would do something to even the playing field. It actually helped with my bending, so it was doubly useful.”

He chanced a glance at Sokka and saw the other boy gazing at him considerately, but he didn't do anything but nod. 

Sokka hesitated for a moment before looking at the ground himself and saying,

“Would you ever...want to practice together?” 

Zuko felt the corners of his lips pull up into a tentative smile, a gesture that still felt foreign on his face, but was slowly getting more familiar, largely in part to the Water Tribe boy in front of him.

“Yeah, I would like that.” He said. Sokka looked over at him and gave a blinding smile of his own and Zuko swallowed. 

Agni, help him. 

“Yeah? Awesome, great. That’s–cool.” Sokka answered stiltedly. 

“You’ll have to get up when I do though.” He laughed at the horrified look on the other boy’s face. “I mean, you’re up now so I know it’s possible.”

Sokka’s face suddenly shuttered a bit and Zuko cursed himself for whatever he said. 

“I actually had a nightmare that woke me up,” he said scratching the back of his head. He didn’t seem willing to add anything else and Zuko didn’t blame him. He didn’t much feel like thinking about his own nightmare that woke him this morning. 

Sokka snapped out of the melancholy train of thought and clapped his hands together.

“Right! Well, let’s get breakfast; I’m starving.”

Zuko rolled his eyes, but didn’t disagree. As they begin to make their way down to the win area of the temple, Sokka spoke again. 

“You know you could always ask Katara to heal your shoulder for you, it wouldn’t take long at all.” Zuko briefly winced at the thought of going to Katara with his injury. 

“Yeah, she would probably make it worse just to spite me.”

Now it was Sokka’s turn to wince. 

“I know she can be a bit–“

“Hateful?”

“I was going to say ‘difficult.’” Zuko snorted. 

“That’s an understatement. Sokka, she _despises _me.”__

____

____

“Listen, Katara can hold a grudge like no one else I’ve ever met. She still brings up the time I broke one of her favorite toys when we were kids.” Sokka glanced over at Zuko, and whatever expression that was on his face made Sokka backpedal. “Sorry, I just mean that cares a lot and things tend to affect her deeply. That’s not to say that she won’t get over it–because she will. She just needs time. She just needs to see that you’re a good person,” He hesitated for a minute. “You know, like I do.” 

Zuko couldn’t be sure but he thought he saw Sokka’s cheeks turning pink. He tried in vain not to let his own blush spread. They walked together in a comfortable silence the rest of the way to breakfast.

So, that’s how it started. Since that morning they’ve been sparring together. Not every morning; Sokka hadn’t been able to break his habit of sleeping in completely. But most days Zuko would be finishing up his katas when Sokka would come shuffling in with his sword at his side, still rubbing sleep from his eyes. This morning wasn’t any different. 

It never took long, though, before Sokka was awake and bouncing on his toes in front of Zuko. 

“You ready, Jerkbender?” Zuko let out a soft laugh at the nickname. At first it grated on him, but now it was almost endearing. 

“Are you? You haven’t beaten me once in the entire time we’ve been sparring.” 

It was true. Sokka could hold his own, and he’d definitely been getting better, but Zuko had been training his whole life with those swords. Still, there was a glint in Sokka’s eye as he smiled at Zuko.

“Today’s different, I can feel it. I’ve been practicing.” Zuko took his place across from the other boy and raised one eyebrow. 

“Oh yeah? Show me then, Water Tribe,” he taunted. 

With that Sokka attacked, swinging his sword in a wide arc only to be met by Zuko’s blades in a block. 

“Is that all you got? C’mon, that was sloppy, I saw that coming a mile away.” Sokka’s eyes narrowed but he didn’t reply, only pushed back with a grunt until they were a few feet away from each other. They circled for a moment before diving back in, this time Zuko making the first move. 

They became lost in a flurry of swords. The sounds of metal clashing rang through the empty morning air. This bout went on longer than normal. Sokka must not have been lying when he said he’d been practicing. They continued fighting until sweat was dripping down each of their faces. 

Sokka stepped forward, moving his sword in a gesture that twisted one of Zuko’s own out of his right hand. It clattered to the ground and Zuko looked at it in shock. That was a first. Sokka took advantage of his distraction to advance a couple of steps. Zuko stepped back quickly and tried to raise his left sword in time, but he was off balance. He tripped and landed hard on the ground with a wince. When he looked up, Sokka was standing above him with an incandescent grin on his face and his sword under Zuko’s chin.

All of the sudden, Zuko couldn’t breathe. His stomach swooped in a way reminiscent of when he stood too close to the drop-off of the temple and looked down over the edge. It felt like his world had just flipped upside down. 

The sun shone behind Sokka, illuminating him like a halo. Some of his hair had fallen out of his wolf tail and hung around his face in sweaty strands. His tunic was sticking to his body in a way that must not have been comfortable, but he didn’t seem to mind. His chest heaved with each breath he took. Zuko thought he had never looked more beautiful. 

It was like a dam burst inside Zuko and all of the feelings he’d been keeping at bay rushed through his chest. 

Not that he’d tried very hard to keep the feelings back. He normally just tried to experience it while it was happening and then tried to forget about it after. Sometimes, when he was feeling truly pathetic, he would lay at night and remember those moments. All of the smiles sent his heart all a-flutter. Those flutters in his chest had been happening more and more frequently, and he was smart enough that he knew where they were headed. But now those flutters had turned into a full on hurricane. 

He knew now there was no coming back from this crush–no, it wasn’t even just that anymore. He knew there was no coming back from whatever this was, not unscathed anyway. 

He shook himself from his revelation and realized he’d just been sitting in the ground, staring at Sokka, with his mouth slightly open. 

Sokka’s smile began to drop, reading the shock on Zuko’s face, but misinterpreting the cause of it. 

“Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you did I? Is it your shoulder?” Zuko’s heart twisted at the concern in his voice. No one except his uncle had shown that kind of concern for him in a long time. 

In actuality his shoulder hadn’t hurt for at least a week, but he could take an out when he saw one. 

“Um, yeah, it’s a little sore I guess. Maybe we should stop.” Sokka nodded.

“That’s a good idea. I’m exhausted.” He sheathed his sword and held out a hand to help Zuko up from where he was still on the ground. Sokka pulled a little bit harder than Zuko had anticipated and his momentum sent him crashing into Sokka’s chest. The other boy reached out to steady him in a way that reminded Zuko of that first morning. Spirits, he was hopeless. 

“Whoa dude, are you sure you’re okay? You seem kinda out of it.” Zuko had to get a hold of himself. He was being way too obvious and the last thing he needed was for Sokka to notice Zuko’s feelings. He could just hear the rejection in his head; he didn’t know if he could take that. 

“I’m fine,” he said, not meeting Sokka’s eyes, “Just didn’t sleep well, that’s all.” If it was possible Sokka’s brow furrowed even more.

“Nightmares?” Sokka said. Zuko nodded slightly, the lie coming easily. He hated it, but Sokka was the one giving him the excuses he needed. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

That was another new development, along with the sparring. They had taken to confiding in each other when the other had a nightmare. Some days one of them would arrive with tension in his shoulders and they would get right to sparring, no words needed. Others, they would sit shoulder-to-shoulder against the wall after they finished, sweaty and tired, and talk about the dreams that plagued them at night. Zuko talked in a quiet voice about his dad and Azula, the cruel looks on their faces as they told him he was worthless. Sokka would talk about his fears of losing his sister and his dad and how, in his dreams, he always had to watch them die. For once, Zuko’s chest didn’t seize up at talking about his family, Sokka’s presence relaxed him–and wow, he really should have realized his feelings for Sokka sooner than he did. 

“No, I think I’ll be okay,” he said, shaking his head. “Let’s just go get something to eat.” Sokka’s face perked up at the mention of food and Zuko felt a wave of fondness at his distractibility. 

As they’re walking down the stairs, Sokka looked over at him and smirked.

“I told you I could beat you,” a smug look on his face that Zuko told himself wasn’t attractive. He’d been lying all morning, what’s one more to himself. 

He was so fucked. 

—

Later that night, he was staring down into his bowl of rice and seal jerky, trying to organize the thoughts in his head without much luck. He was sitting a little ways off from the fire and the rest of the group, when he sensed a gaze on him. 

He looked up and caught Katara’s eyes. He quickly looked away. The rest of the Gaang was chatting animatedly and didn’t notice when Katara got up, came over to Zuko, and plopped down in the unoccupied seat next to him. Zuko stayed very still, like if he didn’t move, Katara wouldn’t be able to see him. 

“I see that you’ve been hanging around with my brother lately,” she asked, not even trying to hide the suspicion in her voice. 

“Uh, yeah. We’ve just been sparring together. With swords.” He made an aborted swinging movement with his hand before realizing how awkward that looked. 

Katara raised a disbelieving eyebrow. 

“Right. Well, I know you’re up to something. I’ll figure out what you’re doing. If you hurt Sokka, I will end you.” He only nodded.

_Once you figure it out, let me know, _Zuko thought to himself. As quickly as she sat down, Katara got up and went back over to the others. Zuko’s gaze followed her, but quickly settled on Sokka; it was almost involuntary. He was telling a story, gesturing his arms enthusiastically. Zuko felt the corners of his mouth tilt up. The next moment, Sokka’s eyes met his over the fire and Sokka’s smile grew. He paused in his story to gesture Zuko over. Zuko blushed and prayed to whoever was listening that it didn’t show in the dark. He only hesitated for a second before getting up and moving closer to the group.__

____

____

He sat down in an open space next to Toph, trying to contain the urge to curl in on himself. Once he was settled, she punched him in the shoulder without looking away from her food. He was proud to say he only jumped a little. Zuko felt something in him settle and he smiled to himself. 

Haru had started telling a story of his own now. Zuko glanced up and was surprised to see Sokka still looking at him. When Sokka saw him looking, he gave him a soft smile before tuning back into the story. Zuko looked back down at his food and let his hair fall to cover his face. It would be hard to deal with his feelings, but maybe he could still enjoy those little moments. 

—

He didn’t think twice about joining Sokka on his mission to Boiling Rock, it just makes sense. There’s no way that he would let him go by himself, and let’s be honest, Zuko’s never had much of a sense of self preservation. 

The whole time they’re there his heart is jumping out of his chest, for multiple reasons. When Sokka spots Suki, it almost stops completely. 

He should’ve known something like this would happen, because what would his life be without a perpetual sense of misery hanging over him. He automatically feels himself closing off.

_Like you should’ve done before, _he thought to himself. But he couldn’t bring himself to regret the way that he’d started to warm up while being around the Gaang, it felt too much like progress. He forced himself to focus on the task at hand; they were in imminent danger after all.__

____

____

When Mai confronts him in the cell his heart twists in a very different way. The sting of regret and guilt makes it hard to explain himself, especially when she doesn’t want to hear it. Not just for breaking up in a letter, which he knows was beyond shitty, but also for not taking longer to get over her. One thing he doesn’t regret, though, is the break-up itself. He doesn’t know if he loved her, but she was there when he didn’t have anyone else, and he will always be grateful for that. But if he learned anything from his revelation, it’s that whatever he felt for Sokka is stronger than anything he ever felt for Mai. As he stands in the gondola, full of disbelief at what she just did for them, he realizes that he didn’t deserve her, that she deserved someone so much better than him. As they drifted away slowly, he saw Tai Lee take his sister down, and he thought that maybe she already had that someone. 

When they get back to the air temple, Sokka and Suki disappear right after the family reunion with his and Katara’s dad. Zuko tries not to dwell on it, a feeling that he is getting good at and also tired of at the same time. When they come back around dinner time, they’re holding hands, but both look vaguely sad, which Zuko is confused about, but again, _not thinking about it._

____

____

— 

Sokka and he kept sparing. The morning after they return from Boiling Rock, Sokka marched into the room they used to practice and Zuko recognized the tense line of his shoulders that said he had a nightmare. Sokka didn’t say anything, so neither did he. He just quickly took up a ready stance and the other boy did the same across from him. His eyes looked distracted, but still determined. Zuko decided that maybe he wouldn’t go as hard on him today, just let him get the stress out. 

Sokka took the first swing and from there, Zuko turned his mind off and let the muscle memory take over. It ended at some point when Sokka took a step back and all but fell to the ground, landing in a seat and hanging his head between his knees, defeated. Zuko could see his back heaving, like he’s struggling to breathe. Zuko is paralyzed for a moment, unsure what to do, before crouching by his side and awkwardly putting a hand on the other boy’s shoulder. Zuko didn’t know how long they stayed in that position, but eventually Sokka’s breathing calmed down. After a moment of silence, Zuko decided to speak. 

“…do you want to talk about it?” he asked tentatively. Sokka lifted his head and stared off into space for a minute, seemingly debating with himself about something. He must’ve made a decision, because he swallowed audibly.

“Uh, yeah.” He didn’t look at Zuko, but that’s fine; Zuko understood. Zuko shifted so that they’re sitting side-by-side and looked out into the open air around the temple. “It was Boiling Rock,” he says quietly. Zuko nodded; it hadn’t happened yet, but Zuko anticipated that his own dreams would start featuring moments from their mission. Sokka went quiet again, and Zuko risked prompting him.

“Was it your dad?” He’d had been the subject of Sokka’s nightmares before, and it made sense. He was surprised when Sokka shook his head, still not looking at him. “Suki?” he tried again, getting another head shake, this time with a rueful smile. Zuko’s brow furrowed. 

“Actually,” Sokka said, his voice cracking. He finally looked over at Zuko. His eyes were glassy, but clear, clearer than they had been when they were sparring. He looked like had come to a conclusion about something, something that put him at peace, which made Zuko feel a bit better, but no less confused. He glanced away again. “It was about you.” 

Zuko’s hand tensed on Sokka’s shoulder, but he quickly forced himself to relax. Sokka didn’t seem to notice, thankfully. He was staring at his hands.

“In it, after Azula showed up,” Zuko stiffens again at the mention of his sister’s name. “You guys were fighting on the roof of the gondola, and she landed a kick that knocked you off. I wasn’t able to get there in time to grab you, and I watched you fall.” Zuko gulped. He remembered how he felt when they were in a similar situation, but with their positions reversed. The amount of panic that he had felt stuck with him long after. He could imagine how Sokka felt, very clearly. 

Sokka still wasn’t looking at him and Zuko refused to be nervous about that fact. When he finally glanced up, Zuko tried to arrange his features into a neutral expression, but he doesn’t know how well he pulled it off. Sokka’s eyes studied his face and Zuko felt himself blush at the attention. 

“I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable. I just…needed to get it out. Talking to you helps, you know?” Sokka looked shy at the admission. 

“It didn’t make me uncomfortable,” Zuko was quick to reassure. “I get it, believe me. Thank you for sharing that. With me.” Zuko wished he wasn’t so fucking awkward. 

Sokka was smiling at him now. Zuko held his gaze for what felt like forever, his heart speeding up. Sokka took a deep breath, like he was psyching himself up. Zuko looked at him with a questioning look when, all of the sudden, Sokka’s lips were on his. 

It took a moment for Zuko to realize that he wasn’t imagining it, and once he did his hands came up to frame Sokka’s face as gently as he could. His lips were a little chapped, but nonetheless soft. The kiss was chaste, but it still made Zuko dizzy. It could’ve been minutes or hours, but eventually they pulled away and looked at each other. 

“Um,” Sokka started, scratching the back of his head. “I just needed to do that, at least once.” 

“What about Suki?” Zuko asked, then regretted it. He didn’t mean to bring up Sokka’s girlfriend right after he’d kissed him, but his conscience wouldn’t shut up that it was wrong. Sokka had something good with her, and Zuko liked Suki. It hurt to see them together, but he couldn’t help but admit that they looked good together. 

Sokka laughed, looking a bit uncomfortable. “Uh, yeah. That didn’t really work out. Don’t get me wrong, I love her, and probably always will, but…” He looked at Zuko, “Just not like that.” Zuko let this sink in for a moment before swallowing. 

“But you are interested in someone…?” Zuko said quietly. Sokka tilted his head to the side, an open expression of fondness on his face. 

“You can be such an idiot sometimes,” he said. “You’re really lucky you’re cute.” Zuko blushed, but didn’t have a chance to offer a comeback before Sokka’s lips were back on his. They were gone just as quickly. “I could really get used to that,” he whispered. Zuko agreed with him, but didn’t think he could say anything if he tried. “Does that answer your question?” Zuko nodded with a small smile on his face. 

He’d figure out exactly what this meant for them later, but for right now he found himself leaning in again to feel Sokka’s lips on his. Yeah, he could definitely get used to this.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Zukka fic, so be gentle. 
> 
> Title is from "Bloodsport" by Raleigh Ritchie because when do I not name things using song lyrics.


End file.
